by Erin Snihur
His gaze shifted to the elderly woman who was no doubt her mother, Linda Monet, with green eyes so similar to Teresa’s. She sat in a wheelchair and listened to Tariq, enraptured as his friend introduced Samara and Malik to both Samantha and the older woman.
“And this is another of my best friends, Amoz. He and I met your daughters during their trip to Elish,” Tariq’s words finally registered with Amoz and he sharpened his gaze back on Samantha, who inhaled sharply.
Nodding at Samantha, Amoz gruffly murmured, “It is good to see you again, Samantha.”
“You too,” Samantha murmured back, but was overshadowed by the elderly woman who shouted with glee.
“Oh yes, they went on a trip! And dear Gerry brought them back to me. I wasn’t sure if I would ever see them again,” Linda spoke dreamily as if it had just happened instead of six months ago.
Leaning down, Samantha squeezed her mother's shoulder, “Try to stay calm, mom.”
Waving her daughter away, Linda smiled at Tariq before her eyes shifted to Amoz, “You and my other daughter, Teresa, would be great friends. She looks so serious all the time, just like you. I tell her if she doesn’t smile at least a little bit before the baby comes, the baby will be born with a permanent frown.”
Mouth opened, Samantha clears her throat and glances at her bare wrist. “Well, would you look at the time, we best be going. Lovely to see you and meet you all. Toodeloo!”
Pushing her mother in the wheelchair past them, Amoz struck and grabbed Samantha by the arm, pulling her to halt.
“Teresa is pregnant?” Amoz growled through clenched teeth.
“Amoz,” Malik crooned warningly as everyone tensed at the sight of Amoz’ pent up anger slithering along the surface.
Staring up into his eyes, Samantha nodded hesitantly and Amoz pulled his hand away, shaking his head. “Is she happy?”
“Of course not! She’s pregnant and unmarried! You know, when I was a young girl, if a man got you pregnant, he had the honor to do the right thing and marry you!” Linda Monet exclaimed loudly for all to hear.
“Sam?” Amoz practically yelled in question as he stared at Teresa’s sister. While their hair and eyes looked nothing alike their complexion and facial features were similar. Teresa’s sister was at war with her emotions and the situation.
Before he could say her name again, a cry of pain rang out over the once quiet gardens and everyone turned in the direction of the cry.
“That sounded like Teresa,” Linda Monet exclaimed. “Wasn’t she just with us a few moments ago?”
Another cry of pain had Amoz sprinting down the path in the direction of the sounds and came to a halt in front of a bed of roses. Laying in the center of the rose bed, like a gift from Allah, was Teresa Evans. Beautiful and obviously pregnant. She was paler than he remembered and the bags under her eyes were smudged with purple from tiredness.
“Amoz,” she whispered his name softly in shock at the sight of him before her face morphed into pain and she clutched her protruding stomach.
Jumping into action and ignoring the sounds of his friends, Sam and Linda approaching, Amoz stepped into the bushes and tried to stop her from moving about.
“What hurts?” Amoz asked, going into a medical mindset he hadn’t used since his time in the Elish army.
“My stomach started cramping. It could be false contractions, but I’m not sure. My water hasn’t broken and I’m not due for three more months,” Teresa gasped as another wave of pain morphed over her face and she breathed in and out harshly.
Six months pregnant, Amoz mused inwardly and a dark thought hissed back, just enough time for her abusive ex-husband to plant his seed.
“Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” Samara asked frantically as she clutched her new husband's arm.
“It will take them too long. Let’s go in the SUV’s. Malik, let the team know we need a clear path to the nearest hospital,” Amoz ordered and without thinking, he knelt down and swept Teresa into his arms.
Even through the pain, Teresa protested and pushed against him. “No, Amoz! I’m too heavy!”
Rolling his eyes, Amoz strode through their small group, ignoring the shocked and concerned looks Teresa's mother and sister were sending their way as he rushed down the many paths toward the garden dome’s entrance. He didn’t even check to make sure everyone was following. All he heard in the back of his head was one voice.
Teresa is pregnant. Six months pregnant.
As Teresa continued to squirm, Amoz slowed his steps as they exited the garden dome into the cold, wintery parking lot where a few waiting SUV’s stood with Malik’s many guards.
“Stop struggling, ya helo, you aren’t heavy. You were never heavy,” Amoz murmured and she stilled in his arms at his words. Her face flushed from either the cold or his words. He didn’t know, but he wanted to.
As they entered the car, Amoz barked orders in Arabic for the SUV to take them to the nearest hospital. In the corner of his eye he saw Malik, Samara and Tariq helping Samantha and her mother into another SUV.
“Don’t worry about breaking any traffic laws,” Amoz growled in Arabic to the driver, “The diplomatic plates will keep the police off our backs.”
“Amoz,” Teresa whispered against his chest, even as they had slid into the back seat of the SUV, he hadn’t removed his arms from around her. Not wanting to ever let her go again.
Staring down at her, Amoz brushed his nose against hers as he watched her grimace in pain and clutch her stomach. “Yes, ya helo?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left without speaking to you in person,” Teresa whispered through clenched teeth as she breathed harshly through the pain.
“Don’t worry, Teresa, think only about the baby,” Amoz crooned back and placed his hand on top of her bulging stomach. A swift kick over his hand caused Amoz to pull back in shock as he stared in wonder at the small belly.
Chuckling softly to himself, Amoz placed his hand again on her stomach, marveling at the way the baby kicked back against his hand.
“Hush, little one, I will protect your Mama,” Amoz whispered so that only he and Teresa heard the exchange.
Inhaling swiftly, Amoz met Teresa’s beautiful eyes and, before he could stop himself, he placed his lips softly against hers. Amoz marveled at the feel of her soft lips, so plump and mouthwatering. He had missed them.
Against her lips, he whispered, “Always.”
18
Teresa had never seen the hospital in such a panic. As soon as they arrived, she was placed on a gurney and rushed into the emergency ward with Amoz barking orders in Arabic to the stone-faced men who dispersed throughout the room as if to search for something or to keep something out.
Finally, when the nurses and doctors had begun their tests, it became very evident Amoz was not leaving her side. From the glares he shot the nurses when they suggested he wait in the waiting room with the others, to the short comments that if they minded him being there, he would find someone else who wouldn’t.
Everyone here seemed to fear Amoz. She had never felt this kind of fear. She’d only known his love. Now, he seemed crazed with his worry for her. As she lay in the hospital bed, an oxygen mask placed over her nose and mouth, Amoz sat by her side stroking her hair away from her face and every so often placing his comforting hand on her stomach to sooth the kicking baby.
Tears pooled in her eyes as the doctor and nurse stepped out to review the results of her tests. Amoz had placed his hand back on her stomach and soothed the baby in Arabic, his words muffled by the beeping of the machines hooked up to Teresa’s wires.
When his eyes turned back to her, his face etched in concern. “Teresa? What’s wrong? Is something hurting?”
Shaking her head, Teresa pulled the oxygen mask off her face and murmured, “I’m so sorry.”
“For what, ya helo?” Amoz asked, placing his hands back on her forehead.
Before she could answer the doctor returned, his weary face smiling for the f
irst time since they had arrived, “Good news, folks. It was just a mild case of Braxton Hicks contractions.”
Teresa shook her head. “It felt so real.”
The doctor nodded and clasped the clipboard with her information to his chest. “We can keep you overnight for observation. Obviously, the biggest worry is the fall you took. I only see bruising and we are going to perform an ultrasound to make sure everything looks okay. I also think it would be prudent for you to go on bedrest, Ms. Evans. You’ve lost a lot of weight since your last checkup according to your charts.”
Groaning, Teresa bit her lip. “It was the morning sickness, but it's over now, I hope.”
Nodding, the doctor smiled. “Let’s get the ultrasound over with and we can discuss some of your options.”
As the doctor opened the door once more and the nurse wheeled in the ultrasound machine, Teresa breathed heavily at the sight and turned back to Amoz.
“I need to tell you something,” she whispered.
The beeps of her heart rate on the machine distracted her handsome stranger and hushed her. “Be calm, love. No need to get too excited.”
“It’s important, Amoz,” Teresa murmured.
Sighing, Amoz leaned in close, “If it’s about Gerry, I’m sorry. He wasn’t listed under emergency contacts. I couldn’t find him.”
Shaking her head, Teresa closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears at bay. “Gerry and I are divorced now. It happened after I returned home. He and I were never together and haven’t been for a long time.”
Teresa’s words seemed to sink in for Amoz as he stared at her in shock, mouth gaping open. He didn’t look away from her as the nurse pulled back Teresa’s hospital gown and revealed her perfectly shaped baby bump. The familiar scars of her past seemed so insignificant now. Teresa gasped at the cool gel the nurse squirted onto her stomach. The doctor took over then and placed the probe on her stomach, fiddling with the buttons on the control panel as the screen flared to life. The thumping sounds of a heartbeat filled the silent room.
Not wanting to see his face morph into one of disgust, Teresa turned away and stared at the image of her perfect baby flash across the screen. Gasping at the sight, Teresa smiled when she saw the fingers and feet move and felt the corresponding movement of flutters in her belly. Smiling at the sight of her precious baby, Teresa only barely noticed when Amoz pulled away from her and moved closer to the ultrasound screen.
“There he is,” the doctor murmured.
“He?” Amoz asked in a whisper, “It’s a boy?”
“Were you both wanting to wait for the gender reveal? I’m so sorry, your Highness, I had no idea,” the doctor murmured, his voice frantically mumbling apology after apology.
“Highness?” Teresa asked in shock as both the doctor, the nurse and Amoz turned to stare back at her. “Why do you think Amoz is royalty?”
Clenching his fists, Teresa watched as Amoz sent a look to the doctor and nurse, “Leave us.”
Nodding slightly, the doctor stood and halted the image so that it was frozen on the screen displaying their perfect baby. Teresa’s mind was frantic. Why would they think Amoz was royalty? This question buzzed in her mind as she thought back to the way things just happened for Amoz back at the resort with a snap of his fingers. She’d thought it was due to his being a prominent businessman.
Then her mind snapped to just this afternoon when large, security type men appeared and escorted them to the hospital. Even now as the doctor and nurse exited the room, Teresa could make out the silent, sturdy bodies of two men guarding the entrance to Teresa’s private hospital room.
“Amoz, what’s going on?” Teresa asked in a slow whisper.
Turning back to face her, his face darkened with anger and obvious stress, Amoz bit back through clenched teeth. “I could ask you the same thing, Teresa. Were you ever going to tell me that you were carrying my child?”
Mouth opening at his words, Teresa struggled to sit up in the bed and, when Amoz strode forward to help her and plump the pillows at her back, Teresa’s anger waned. He’d always seemed to come rushing to her aid. Even in Elish.
Blushing as she recalled their last few, pleasurable moments along the Arabian Coast, Teresa shook herself inwardly and forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
“I was going to tell you, but I didn’t know if it would matter. You were so sure that our little fling would be well and truly over before I left for the States,” Teresa explained simply, hands wringing. “Then Gerry showed up to bring us home.”
Amoz snorted and rolled his eyes at the mention of her ex-husband. “Yes, I know. I met him in the lobby of the resort. He was adamant to speak with you and claimed you were still married. He still wore his ring, Teresa!”
Shaking her head with tears welling up in her eyes, Teresa blubbered out. “We hadn’t been together in over a year. I never lied to you about what he did to me, Amoz, I swear it!
Silence ensued through the room and, when Amoz collapsed into the chair the doctor had abandoned in front of the ultrasound screen, she spoke again, “I needed to get home to be with my mother. She had a car accident and was in a coma. When she woke up, well, things got worse. Her memory isn’t the greatest and she needs care 24/7. Gerry was trying to insert himself back into my life and then I found out about the baby.”
“He will not raise my child, Teresa,” Amoz growled out.
Glaring back at him when he met her gaze, Teresa stuck up her chin. “Neither will you, if you don’t listen to me.”
At his silence, Teresa continued, “I told him our marriage was over. I filed the divorce paperwork immediately and we’ve been officially divorced for some time now. I think he might have moved back to the East Coast. I’ve been looking after my mother since then. I did want to call you, Amoz. I was too embarrassed and didn’t want you to hate me.”
Sighing, Amoz leaned forward in the chair and clasped her hands, halting their nervous twitching. Staring into her eyes with his pale brown ones, Amoz smiled softly. “I could never hate you, ya helo. I…well, I was going to tell you the night you left Elish, but obviously I couldn’t, because you left, but I love you.”
Teresa felt as though her breath had been caught in her throat and she released a harsh exhale in shock.
“What?”
Nodding, Amoz pulled her hands up to his mouth and kissed them softly. “Ask Tariq. I’ve been a depressed lump to be around since you left me. If it wasn’t for Malik and Samara inviting me on this trip, I’d probably still be back in Elish brooding over pictures I’d taken of us.”
Blushing as she recalled the happy memories she’d had of the trip, Teresa stuttered out the words she thought she’d never say, “I love you too, Amoz. I didn’t think I was capable of feeling this way again and I was so scared to even think these thoughts, but I do. I’m sorry for not telling you about the baby sooner.”
Caressing her bump with his free hand, Amoz grinned up at her. “My turn to reveal a secret.”
Recalling the strange behavior of the nurse and doctor, Teresa cocked her head, “Are you royalty?”
Nodding slightly, Amoz sighed and groaned softly. “I’m kind of, sort of, the Sheik of Elish.”
Epilogue
Three months later...
“Are you sure my mother is settling in okay? Don’t you think we should go help her unpack?” Teresa called out from her seat as she soothed her fluttering stomach.
Amoz had just entered the extravagant room and was now filling two glasses. One with punch for Teresa and one with something stronger for him. The evening sun had just begun to set over Elish’s capital city and, through the arched windows, Teresa was sure there could not be a more beautiful sight.
Amoz chuckled softly. “You need to relax, Teresa. She is quite happy with all the attention Palo is laying at her feet. It seems they’ve gotten along quite well. For a man who appeared so strict to me as a child and even now, he becomes putty in your mother's presence.”
Teres
a smiled and graciously accepted the glass of punch as she leaned back in the plush throne chair Amoz had ordered made especially for her. Her swollen feet were raised on the equally plush foot stool and she’d never felt more comfortable. Even the slight twinges of pain that seemed to appear every few minutes had dwindled.
Scanning the now empty throne room, Teresa, out of habit and not used to the feeling of the petit crown and covering on her head, sheepishly sent Amoz a sideways look.
“Today was so strange,” Teresa commented as she took a sip from her punch and tried to control the wince of another kick from their son’s feet against her small stomach.
“You attended our two-week wedding celebration from sun up to sun down at seven months pregnant and you thought the first day attending to court was strange?” Amoz amusedly crooned at her from his own, much larger throne.
Giggling, Teresa blushed and took her new husband's hand. “My handsome Sheik, I think you’ve shocked your entire court by having your very pregnant Sheikha attend today and participate. I prayed that none of the men who attended today had a heart attack at the sight of my arrival.”
Amoz grinned and winked down at her. “You had some marvelous ideas regarding tourism and the education plans in place. Those old bastards of my court could learn a thing or two.”
Before she could respond, Teresa let out a harsh gasp and doubled over her stomach in pain. Instantly, Amoz was up on his feet and forcing Teresa to look into his eyes. Biting her lip to keep from moaning out, Teresa breathed deeply through her nose before the pain subsided.
“Teresa?” Amoz asked her name, his voice deeper than before.
“It was nothing, just a small contraction,” Teresa’s words garbled as she struggled to stand up and out of the throne. “I think a walk will help.”
As she struggled to stand and, with Amoz’ assistance, cried out when she felt an inner pop and warm fluid fell down her legs, some even splattering on the mosaic tiled floors.
